REID Mel

General
MENTAL STRUGGLES
She has spoken about her struggles with her mental health following the death of her mother in a car accident in 2012. "I wasn't coping, I was rebelling. I was spending time with people who partied. I was hitting the self-destruct button. I was with a lot of people, but I was lonely." She moved to the United States of America in 2018 after earning her full card for the LPGA Tour the previous year, and began working with sports psychologist Howard Falco in August 2020. "I think that has been a big issue for me, whether I deserve stuff. I just think it has added up over the years, and it's just created this wall that I have against myself that he [Falco] is trying to break down." (lpga.com, 29 Apr 2021, 04 Oct 2020; skysports.com, 05 Oct 2020; golfweek.usatoday.com, 27 Sep 2020; espn.com, 14 Sep 2015)

COMING OUT
In 2018 she announced she was homosexual during an interview with Athlete Ally, a non-profit LGBTQ athletic advocacy group based in the United States of America. "When I came out I felt proud of myself because it is a big thing. I got so many nice messages from people saying thanks so much. Two days after, this 75 year old man said, 'I have just read your story'. I thought, 'Here we go'. He said, 'My granddaughter is gay and you really helped me deal with that. I just want to say a huge thank you. I could not be more proud now I have read your story'. That is exactly why I did it. I am part of this community and want to use my platform to give back and have even more of an impact. There is still a stigma about it. And I will keep going until there isn't." (inews.co.uk, 07 Oct 2020; golfdigest.com, 11 Dec 2018)